Now There's a Ninja?
by Last-Babylonian
Summary: Sequel to How to Flatter a Cat. Please read that one first or you'll be very lost. Catwoman and Batman seem to have things pretty well taken care of in Gotham. But there's always room for one more set of hands. And maybe a little romance for Max as well? Temporarily on hiatus due to lack of free time. See profile for full explanation!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello once again! It's me! Last-Babylonian! And I finally have the time to write the sequel to ****How to Flatter a Cat****! I'm so sorry for how late this is and I'm sure ya'll were about to find me with torches and pitchforks so I'm hoping this persuades you to be nice to me. Read and review please!**

Chapter 1: Why Hello There

"MAX!" Isis shouted as she glomped the startled pinkette.

"Holy cow woman! Are you trying to give people heart attacks?" Max asked as she hugged her friend tightly.

"Well no…but that would be something fun to do," Isis said as she and Max walked down the depressingly gray hallway of the school.

"You're crazy hon. Hey, where's Terry?" Max asked when she realized that Isis was unusually alone. Sighing Isis did a quick sweep of the area to make sure no one was within ear shot.

"Bruce Wayne sent him out to handle some idiot named 'Mad Stan'. I offered to help, obviously. But they both shot me down," Isis said with a childish pout and annoyed yowl.

"What? I thought they would jump at the chance for you to help," Max said with wide eyes as the girls walked through the school doors. "Mall?" Max asked randomly as they stood outside awkwardly.

"Mall sounds good. I need to look at some new clothes. And I thought so too. But Terry said that Mad Stan was not someone I should face and Wayne said that I should stay in class and take notes so Terry doesn't miss anything," Isis said as the two walked towards the mall.

"That's ridiculous if you ask me girl. I mean you're obviously able to protect yourself and help Terry out. I mean that whole deal with mask man should have proven that," Max said as she wrapped an arm around Isis's shoulder and gave her a brief squeeze.

"One would think that! I mean that was two weeks ago and I haven't fought anything but stupid Jokerz! Now I can see why Dana got all pissy with the lack of time spent together," Isis said with a full body shudder at her comparison.

"Yeah but there's a major difference between you two; you actually understand why he's constantly off and you even help him out once in a while. Dana was kept in the dark," Max said before the girls entered through the mall doors. "Where to first?" Max asked as they looked at a directory.

"I say Hot Topic **(Yes there will be a Hot Topic in the future!)**. I need to see if they have any interesting jewelry," Isis said as she pointed to the location of the store. Nodding in agreement, the two girls walked arm in arm to the gothic store.

The girls separated once they entered the store in order to look at random things for themselves. Isis headed over to the jewelry section while Max walked over to the shirts. She was off in her own world thinking about what Isis and her talked about and didn't realize that there was a person directly in front of her. Bumping head first into a solid chest, Max stumbled and braced herself for the harsh impact that never came. Opening her eyes, she saw pitch black eyes staring at her with slight shock.

"Are you alright?" The young man asked as he helped her to stand up straight once again.

"Uh huh," was all Max could say as she stared at the young man who straightened a wayward strand of his shoulder length blonde hair. "I'm sorry for bumping into you," Max said once she regained her ability to speak.

"Oh don't worry about it," The man said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm Lance by the way," he said with a charming smile and a slight bow.

"Max," Max replied as she tried to fight down her blush.

"So, Max…you here with someone or am I able to steal you away for pizza and conversation. I'm new here and could really use a friendly face to talk to," Lance said with a flirty tone and wink.

"Actually she's with me," Isis said as she draped herself on Max's back. "But I don't mind you stealing her for pizza and conversation," Isis said as she gave a gentle push to Max's back, causing her to take a step towards Lance. "I'm Isis by the way," Isis said with a brief wave.

"Lance. And thank you for the loan of your mall buddy…unless you don't want to join me Max," Lance said as he bowed towards Isis and gave a concerned look to Max.

"Well I probably should stick with Isis," Max said with hesitation.

"Max, I'm…" at that very moment, Isis was interrupted by her cell going off with the Dracula theme playing. Isis sighed and opened her phone and turned her back on the two so she could answer Bruce Wayne's call. A few awkward moments, or at least to Max, went by and Isis turned back around with an evil glint in her eyes. "Max, I'm unfortunately going to have to leave you. Boss wants me to run a few errands for him. Take good care of her, Lance!" Isis said as she hugged Max and sauntered out of the store.

"Well, shall we?" Lance asked after a few silent moments.

"Sure," Max said as she blushed a vibrant pink that could put her hair to shame. Lance smiled at how shy Max was acting.

"What took you so long!" Terry shouted as he saw his girlfriend swing her way into the half destroyed building that was the library.

"I was busy Mr. Impatient. And I'm here now aren't I?" Isis said as she sauntered her way over to Terry. His suit looked as though it has seen far better days and he was breathing heavily. "And I thought you said that Mad Stan was too much for me?" Isis purred with an evil smirk that screamed she was going to rub this in.

"Well I apparently thought it was going to be no different than the last few times," Terry said as the eyes on his cowl narrowed to a glare. Glaring in return, Isis turned on her heel and stalked up behind Mad Stan who was too busy blowing things up to notice the added company.

"Now why are you destroying these wonderful works of literature?" Isis asked with a sad tone and a matching pout. Turning around in shock, Mad Stan forgot the explosive that was in his hand.

"Do you know what the problem is these days!" Mad Stan shouted as he threw the explosive at Isis who easily jumped up onto a bookshelf and avoided the blast.

"Too many books with gum in them?" Isis asked sarcastically as she crept her way closer to Mad Stan who was growling in irritation.

"Information overload man! We're having all of this info shoved into our heads! And the only way to solve this problem is to blow it up!" Mad Stan said as he charged at the book case that Isis was perched upon. Jumping down onto his back, Isis made quick work of his explosive vest. Doing a back flip off of Stan's back, Isis ripped the trigger line with her claws and threw the vest as hard as she could towards Stan. The explosion threw Mad Stan back into the far wall and knocked him out.

"Great work, Catwoman," Terry said as he tied Mad Stan up as tight as he could.

"He wasn't that bad. And to think I missed out on seeing this guy flirt with Max to take care of an extreme protestor," Isis said with a pout and a stomp of her booted foot.

"Wait, what? Some guy was flirting with Max?" Terry asked as the two of them left the destroyed library and headed towards the Bat Mobile.

"Yeah. Some new guy in town was flirting with her in Hot Topic," Isis said as she stretched her arms up over her head and sighed as something in her back popped back into place. "He didn't seem all that bad actually," she continued as she waited for Terry to situate himself in the Bat Mobile before climbing into his lap.

"Maybe she'll like him enough to date him," Terry said as he tried to pay attention to the controls while Isis was purring next to his ear.

"You never know, hon. She just might," Isis said with a content smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello readers! The latest installment is now here! Let me know if the story is good so far please. Reviews and messages help me write what you want to read. Thanks everyone!**

Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

Max and Lance were happily oblivious to the Mad Stan incident that occurred in the library as they munched on pizza.

"Ah, ninja pizza," Lance said as he sprinkled pepper flakes on his slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Ninja pizza?" Max asked with an adorably confused face.

"Pizza that vanishes quickly without trace," Lance said before he started to laugh. "It's a reference from the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie," he explained when he noticed that Max was still confused.

"Oh, never saw them," she said with a shrug before she took a sip of her soda. "What?" she asked when Lance gave her a pout.

"You seriously haven't seen them? You are seriously sheltered then," Lance said as he leaned back in his seat.

"Oh whatever Mister," Max said as she tipped Lance's chair back with her foot. She busted out laughing when he freaked and reached for the edge of the table and just barely saved himself from a nasty fall. "So what brings you to Gotham?" she asked after Lance corrected himself.

"Um, family business stuff. It's completely boring and far from interesting," Lance replied as he tried to wave the subject off. "What's Gotham like anyways?" he asked, figuring that since she asked a question, he could ask one himself.

"Gotham is full of clowns that go around beating people up and no one seems to have anything better to do then commit crimes," Max said as she shrugged her shoulders and leaned her arms on the table. "But there are quite a few people that are cool. People like Isis and her boyfriend," Max said when she saw Lance's face drop.

"So there are a lot of problems here, huh. I guess it's too much to ask for the police to do their job," Lance scoffed and looked off to the side while putting his hands behind his head.

"They do their job. But in such a big city it's difficult to deal with everyone. But we have a couple of vigilantes that try their best to help out," Max said with a smirk.

"Oh really? And who might they be?" Lance asked, his curiosity was peaked at the mention of vigilantes.

"Batman and Catwoman," Max replied with a smile.

"I thought Catwoman was a villain?" Lance said in confusion. "Or at least that's what the rumors are," he expanded.

"The original was, but this one is helping Batman out," Max explained. "Plus Catwoman always seemed more like an anti-hero to me," Max said as she remembered some of the articles she read in Isis's home.

"Well at least a couple people are trying to do more," Lance said as he grabbed his soda to take a drink. "Well I guess more than a couple," he said as he winked at Max.

"What do you mean?" she asked while turning pink.

"Well you're being a great person and talking to a complete stranger that you bumped into, literally," Lance said as he flashed a charming smile.

"It's only the right thing to do. I certainly wouldn't want you to get mixed up in the wrong crowd," Max said as she fidgeted with her neon pink hair. "So tell me a little bit about you," Max suggested in hopes of getting the attention off of her so she could calm her blush.

"Well I'm from Japan. The city isn't all that important to mention because I spent most of my time in our family estate. I am somewhat of an outsider in my family. Mostly because of my hair but they forget about it quickly. I'm a huge prankster but there's no need to worry about me pranking you," He said.

"Why do they forget about it?"

"They tend to forget a lot of things when someone proves that they belong in that family," Lance said as he unconsciously rubbed his arm in nervousness.

"Well hey, at least they don't care about it anymore," Max said, trying to cheer Lance up. "So who do you like to prank?" she asked, hoping it would distract him.

"Jocks. I'm a huge fan of making them look terrible," Lance said with a few chuckles.

"Oh you and Isis would definitely get along. Her first day here she slammed her lunch tray into the head jock's face," Max said with a giggle.

"Isis…she was the girl you were with earlier?" Lance asked as he tried to put a face to a name.

"Yeah. She's a bit loopy but she's totally cool," Max said with a smile, "she loves to glomp people though, so when she sees that you're hanging out with me she'll probably attack you," Max said with a mischievous smirk.

"Joy," he said with a deadpanned face. "She certainly seems to be somewhat…Halloween-ish," he said when he remembered her black and orange attire.

"Yeah but she makes it work," Max said with yet another shrug.

"So now that I've told you a little about me, why don't you return the favor?" Lance asked with a smile that caused Max to turn vibrant pink.

"Not much to tell really. I'm just a nerd at school and I live with my sister and my pet cat," Max said as she ducked her head to try and hide her blush.

"A nerd, huh? Well you're certainly a cute one compared to the rest that I've seen. But that's just my personal opinion of course," Lance said as he brought one of his hands to Max's chin in order to lift her face. "And there's no need to be embarrassed by your knowledge," Lance said as his eyes softened and he gave her a gentle smile.

"I'm not embarrassed by it, but it does cause a few problems once in a while," Max said without removing her chin from his gentle grasp.

"Yeah but you're smart enough to get out of trouble. I, on the other hand, try to get in as much trouble as possible sometimes," Lance said as he lowered his hand from Max's face.

"I'd be careful around here though. This ain't your family's estate," Max said with a deadly serious tone.

"I make no promises my dear, but I'll try to cut back on how much trouble I get myself into," Lance said as he gave her a wink.


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry for the delay my readers. I was busy with finals and scheduling and a bunch of other things, so I lost track of my update times. But here's the latest chapter of Isis, Lance, Terry, and Max madness! Enjoy and please review, it ensures that you get what you want to read!**

Chapter 3: Welcome to Gotham

Max and Lance were still sitting at their table in the food court when Isis and Terry found them.

"Told you they'd still be here Mr. Doubty Pants," Isis said as she stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend and bounded over to the duo at the table. "Max!" Isis shouted as she wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders in a hug.

"Hey Isis, you and Ter take care of that errand for Mr. Wayne?" Max said as she saw Terry walk up to join them. Isis nodded her head in response and moved to sit in the empty seat next to Max. "Terry, meet Lance. Lance, this is Isis' boyfriend, Terry," Max introduced as Terry took the seat next to Lance.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lance said while shaking hands with Terry.

"Likewise. Hopefully Isis and I aren't interrupting anything," Terry said as he leaned his arms on the table.

"Nah, we were just about to walk around. Care to join us?" Lance said in offering as he moved to stand up and grabbed the food trays.

"Sure! We can work on corrupting you before you get sucked into societal requirements," Isis said with a smile and a giggle.

"What does she mean societal requirements?" Lance asked Terry who was merely chuckling.

"With Isis, you never know. And I would simply just go with it," Terry said as he and Lance walked behind the girls. "So where did you move from?" Terry asked in friendly curiosity.

"I moved here from Japan. I was living with my adopted family before I decided that I'd like to check out the states," Lance said as he shoved his hands in his pants pocket.

"Adopted? I mean I don't think there's anything wrong with it but that's just a little…um…I got nothing," Isis said as she walked backwards with her arm looped through Max's in order to prevent herself from crashing into something.

"Nah no offense taken. Yeah my biological family left me on a vacation to Japan so I was wandering around. The woman that I now call Obaasan, Grandmother in English, took me to the family compound and gave me a home," Lance explained to the attentive audience of three.

"Dude, she sounds like a nice woman," Terry said with a smile.

"Yeah, she's nice…until you disobey her," Lance said as he rubbed the back of his head in memory. "She has a mean smack to the back of the head," Lance laughed at the expressions on the others faces.

"I think it's just a natural thing that women can do. I know my mom could smack sense into the dumbest person," Terry said as he rubbed his own head in memory pain.

"Wuss Pusses," Isis said as she stuck her tongue out in a show of immaturity. They all laughed at the ridiculousness of their actions. "So what exactly did you do at this family compound in Japan? I can't imagine that you lived a typical childhood," Isis asked while her amber eyes gleamed in interest. Max turned herself around to join Isis in walking backwards. She glanced briefly over her shoulder just to make sure the two of them weren't going to hit anything.

"Well you're right on me not having a typical childhood. I was trained to protect myself, was given numerous chores that all tied into me learning how to fight. You know those old Karate Kid movies?" Lance asked thee group. He received blank stares from everyone except Isis who was bouncing in her high heeled orange boots.

"Wax on, wax off," Isis said as she moved her hands in opposite circular motions. Terry and Max merely continued to look lost.

"Yeah," Lance said as he chuckled, "That was basically my life with my family. That and dealing with some of the members who believed that I didn't belong," Lance said with a shrug of indifference.

"Well that's just rude," Terry said. "Just because you were adopted doesn't mean you need to be treated like that," he continued with an aggravated tone.

"Hey, it's all cool man. I don't really notice them anymore. Besides, they're in Japan, me and Obaasan are here in Gotham," Lance said with a carefree smile. "Of course I think I got the short end of the stick on this situation," Lance winked in jest. "So now that ya'll know more about me, why don't you return the favor? I know about Max already," Lance asked.

"Born and raised here. I got into a lot of trouble when I was fourteen, ended up in juvie for ninety days, got out and didn't change until my Father was killed. Then I got my act together and was given a job by Mr. Wayne to help my Mom with the bills and such," Terry said with a dismissive shrug of his own.

"Sounds like you had a rough life for a while. But at least things seemed to have changed and for the better," Lance said with a smile. "So now on to Ms. Halloween," Lance said with a cheeky wink.

"I lived in Egypt with my family before I came here. My Dad is military so we were stationed there. I was a fairly good kid until I turned into a teenager. Then my parents couldn't put up with me without some sort of argument. But my Grandmama passed on and in her will she left me her house here in Gotham. So I asked my parents, they agreed, and I moved here. I know also work for Mr. Wayne thanks to Terry pulling a few strings for me," Isis said with a smile that showed her slightly longer canine teeth.

"So you're just a typical teen that lives on her own. Nice," Lance said with a nod and a smile.

"Isis, on your six," Terry said as he pointed behind Isis. Isis leaned her head back in order to see who was behind her.

"YROW! Hide me, hide me, hide me!" Isis freaked out and jumped behind Terry who was laughing his head off.

"Um, hide you from who?" Lance asked in confusion.

"Terry's ex-girlfriend, Dana Tan," Max explained and pointed at the black haired girl walking towards them.

"The dragon lady is after me again," Isis yowled in annoyance.

"Is this a common occurrence with her?" Lance asked as he watched Isis try and hide behind Terry.

"With Isis, everything is no longer strange," Max said with a smile and a shrug. Dana walked up to the group and narrowed her eyes at Isis, who narrowed her eyes in return. The others were merely laughing at Max's comment.

"Well you're a new face here. Who are you?" Dana said, trying to make herself seem far more attractive. Lance looked around and started to try and get a ringing noise out of his ear.

"I'm sorry were you speaking to me?" Lance asked as he removed his finger from his ear.

"Of course I was talking to you. It's not like I'm going to be flirting with my loser ex who lowered his standards," Dana said while throwing another glare at Isis who merely rolled her eyes and cuddled into Terry's side.

"Well I'm not all that interested in shallow people so why don't you find someone else to flirt with," Lance said with a smile and wave goodbye as he and the others left Dana Tan standing in the middle of the walkway.

"Lance, welcome to Gotham City, I think you're going to fit right in," Max said with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow what a long as heck break I took on updating this story. I'm super, super sorry for how long I've taken to update. But with the reviews being so low and the reader stats not being all that great, I'm wondering if keeping this story going is worth it or if I should start all over and try again. Let me know what ya'll want to read, because if I don't know what ya'll want, I don't know what to type. Thanks!**

Chapter 4: What a Great Morning

The day started out beautifully for Lance, who was still asleep with the sun shining on his face gently and his covers nice and warm around him. However, all good things must come to an end as a petite, gray haired woman enters the moderate space of his room.

"Oh how sweet. Young Lance is lost in the land of dreams and everything is so peaceful," she said in a quiet voice with a gentle smile. Her smile quickly turned from gentle to pure mischief as she pulled the metal pot and spoon from around her back. "However, young Lance has his first day of school to attend to, and I simply cannot let him sleep in late," she said before she began to bang the spoon on the pot, startling Lance out of his bed and onto the floor.

"Obaasan! What was that for?" Lance shouted at his adopted Grandmother who simply smiled in return.

"It's time to wake up young one. You have school and I want to make sure you have a nutritious breakfast before you go," Obaasan said as she leaned forward and smiled at Lance.

"You know, normal people have alarm clocks or their family members wake them up gently," Lance said as he stood up and fixed his bed sheets, "I on the other hand, have a crazy Grandmother who likes to scare me half to death every morning," Lance said as he turned to face his Grandmother.

"Well I would have thought that with your training, you'd have sensed me and woke up before I woke you up," Obaasan said before she shuffled out of Lance's room to finish making breakfast. Lance shook his head as he headed to his attached bathroom to get ready.

"Crazy old lady. I really did get the short end of the stick on this deal. I'd rather deal with sensei then her in the mornings," He mumbled as he washed up. He quickly dressed and towel dried his hair before pulling it into his signature ponytail. With a satisfied smile, Lance walked out into the main section of the house and saw his Grandmother putting the last of the dishes on the low table.

"If you think I didn't know what you were mumbling while getting washed up, you are so wrong mister," Obaasan said with a mischievous glint in her eyes and an evil smirk.

"I say the same thing every morning, Obaasan. By now I would hope you'd know what I was saying," Lance said as he sat down and began to fill his plate with the various breakfast items on the table. Obaasan walked behind him and gave him a quick head slap before walking to her seat and sitting far more gracefully for her old age. "And every morning I get slapped for it," Lance said as he continued to eat.

"Well if you keep getting hit, then why do you keep saying what causes the slaps?" Obaasan asked as she too began to eat.

"Because it wouldn't be the same morning routine without it," Lance said with a cheeky smile that Obaasan couldn't help but return. "And you know you love our routine," he said with a wink.

"You are correct young one," Obaasan said with a gentle smile. She couldn't imagine what she would be doing without Lance. She was glad she took in that messy little boy that Lance used to be. They continued to eat in companionable silence before Lance stood up and kissed Obaasan on her wrinkled forehead.

"Well I'm off to be tortured, I mean educated," Lance said with a small laugh as he picked up his book bag and walked towards the door.

"Be careful and have fun," Obaasan said as she kept herself seated and watched him leave. "And don't reveal yourself," she mumbled once the door was closed.

()

"Hey Lance!" Isis shouted from the steps on the school. Lance smiled and walked over to the orange clad woman.

"Hey Isis; where is everyone?" Lance asked as he noticed that Max and Terry weren't there. Isis simply shrugged her shoulders and sat herself on one of the ledges around the steps.

"They normally don't show up till about thirty minutes before school starts," Isis said as she swung her ankle crossed legs back and forth gently. Lance gave her a confused look.

"Then why are you here so early?" Lance asked curiously as he sat himself next to the blonde. Isis moved a section of her hair behind her ear as she turned to look at Lance with laughing amber eyes and a bright smile.

"I'm here early because I live further away so I leave earlier. I like to give myself time to get places. And you never know what the weather will do," Isis said with a shrug. "So why are you here so early?" she asked with giggle.

"To save my brain cells from being smacked out of my head," Lance said with his own laugh. Isis joined in and the two had a great time chit chatting before the group's pinkette arrived.

"Please don't tell you're a morning person," Max pleaded as she joined the two on the ledge.

"Not really, but when you get a good dose of adrenaline first thing in the morning, it's kind of hard to be sleepy," Lance said with an easy shrug.

"Dose of adrenaline?" Max questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"My Grandmother likes to wake me up by banging a metal pot with a metal spoon. I told ya'll yesterday that my Grandmother is ridiculous," Lance said with a "duh" tone.

"I thought you were just exaggerating," Max said with a smile as she pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Ouch, my heart just shattered into a million pieces," Lance said dramatically as he pretended to faint in shock, leaning against Isis who was laughing and trying to push him back up.

"Hey man, don't squish my girlfriend," Terry said as he walked up and pushed Lance's shoulder to get him the rest of the way up.

"Oh so pushy. Someone isn't a morning person," Lance said as he looked at Terry.

"Darn right I'm not a morning person. When you have Wayne as a boss, you have screwy hours, which means little sleep," Terry said as he hefted himself up onto the ledge and laid down so his head was resting in Isis' lap.

"Well don't think you're going to fall asleep on me right now. We have class in thirty minutes," Isis said as she ran a hand through Terry's hair.

"Well that sounds like plenty of time for Terry to catch at least twenty minutes of rest. Come on Isis, be an angel for your boyfriend," Lance said as he gave her a smile.

"Yeah yeah yeah, keep your flirting to Max," Isis said with a sly smirk that caused both Lance and Max to blush a light pink. "And I suppose I could be nice enough to let you get a few minutes of sleep," she said as she smiled down at Terry who was already back asleep, snoring lightly.

"Wow, Wayne must've worked him hard last night," Lance said as he leaned back on his hands and stared at the giant W on the school front. "Don't you work for Wayne too?" he asked as he recalled their conversation yesterday.

"Mr. Wayne trusts Terry with some things that I don't know if he ever will trust me with. Also, Mr. Wayne likes knowing that someone can take notes for Terry since Terry and I have the same schedule, so he tries to keep my night hours to a minimum," Isis explained as she kept running her hand through Terry's hair. "Though I wish I could take on a few more night hours so Terry isn't so tired," she mumbled with a gentle smile.

"Wow, you really do care for him," Lance said with a smile of his own. "I hope that I can find a little lady to care for me like that," he said before he threw a wink to Max, causing her cheeks to flush a bright pink that could rival her hair.

"You're such a flirt," Max said with a giggle and her own flirtatious wink, causing Lance to give a full blown smile.

"And ya'll are just so sugary sweet it's making me nauseous," Terry mumbled as he turned onto his side and buried his head into Isis' stomach, making her giggle at his actions.

"Mind the piercing hon, don't want you to scratch yourself," Isis said with a smile. The three other group members continued conversing about random things quietly, trying to be nice to their exhausted member.

"Sorry Ter, but it's time to get up," Max said before she turned to walk off to her class.

"Hey wait up Max!" Lance shouted as he leaped off the ledge and jogged to catch up with Max. "Mind showing me to the main office?" He asked with a smile. Max simply shook her head and smiled back, grabbing the hand that wasn't holding his back pack and leading him to the main office.

"You're lucky you met us before school," Max said as she stood and waited with Lance for his schedule.

"I'm lucky that I made friends so quickly. Most people don't like new guys," Lance said as he leaned against the high front of the main desk.

"Here you are, I hope you have fun," the secretary said with a forced smile.

"Can she be any more obvious about her hatred for her job?" Lance whispered to Max as they left the office to join the students milling around in the hallway.

"You know, Isis asked the same thing to Terry when they first met. Now let me see your schedule," Max said as she turned and held her hand out so Lance could hand over his schedule. He placed it in her hand and watched as she examined his class schedule.

"Did I get as lucky as Isis and have the same schedule as you?" Lance asked with a hint of mirth.

"Sorry hon, but no. You only have homeroom with us. Now let's get going, don't want to be late now do we?" Max asked as she handed his schedule back to him and turned to walk down to homeroom.

"But of course not; who doesn't want to be late to the nuisance of first introductions?" Lance asked sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't worry, most people will still be asleep when you have to introduce yourself," Max said as she patted his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Besides, most of the ones that are awake probably won't listen," she continued.

"So I'll be talking to a class of people who could care less who I am. That makes me feel so much better," Lance mumbled and rubbed the back of his head in boredom.

"Now I wouldn't say that. There's a few girls that may be interested in you," Max said as she strolled in front of him and threw a wink over her shoulder.

"Don't want a bunch of girls, just interested in one," Lance murmured to himself with a smile as he followed Max to their homeroom class.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay in updates! But I've been typing and retyping this chapter it started to become ridiculous so I took a bit of a break and here I am once again. Hopefully ya'll enjoy this chapter! And please don't forget to review because reviews are the way to make sure you get what you want to read.**

Chapter 5: First Date?

Lance was settling in quite nicely with the small group of friends at Hamilton Hill High. Granted, there was of course the issue of jealous boyfriends getting in his face about stealing their girlfriends. Speaking of which, Lance was caught in that very situation right now.

"Just back off man, she's _my_ girlfriend," One of Nelson's lackeys said in what he hoped was a threatening tone. Lance simply quirked an eyebrow in response to the non-threatening tone.

"Last time I checked, I wasn't hitting on her. The only girl at this school that catches my eye is Maxine Gibson, not your girlfriend. Maybe if you treated her like a lady, then she wouldn't be looking elsewhere for a guy," Lance said before he walked over to where the two girls were waiting by his locker. "Honestly, why do they blame me for their girlfriends' flirting?" Lance asked as he swiped his ID and opened his locker. Isis, who was leaning on the lockers next to Lance, shrugged her shoulders in a thinking gesture.

"Maybe they just don't want to admit that they're the problem?" Isis suggested while looking up at the ceiling, "I mean that's what happened with Dana," Isis continued with a thoughtful look.

"Isis, I can see the smoke pouring out your ears," Max teased the blonde. Said blonde simply stuck her tongue out with a giggle. "Don't worry about those idiot jocks, Lance; they're just jealous that you don't have to work for girls' attention," Max said while giving him a blinding smile.

"Max is right, you just got to let it blow off your shoulders," Terry piped up as he walked up and slumped next to Isis on the lockers. "So you gonna join us for a bit of afternoon fun?" Terry asked after giving Isis a quick kiss.

"Nah, my Grandmother asked me to help her out with some stuff this afternoon," Lance said with his umpteenth sigh.

"Hey it's schway, maybe we can walk you back home?" Max said while putting a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder. Lance thought for a couple moments before smiling.

"Yeah I'd like that. Then ya'll can meet my Grandmother," Lance said as he closed his locker with a relieved sigh this time. "Finally school is over," his comment was met with laughs of agreement. "And we're off to see my Grandmother," he sang in the rhythm of "We're off to see the Wizard" causing more laughs to ring out.

The walk to Lance's home was filled with recounts of everyone's day and laughter. "And then, Dana got in trouble for IMing Chelsea and had to read the IM out loud. The things she said about me got her a whopping detention," Isis said as she giggled madly at the punishment of her apparent school rival.

"Oh man, can't she just get over the fact that Terry dumped her and moved on?" Lance asked as he tried to catch his breath from laughing.

"Apparently not," Max said with a giggle of her own. "Oh wow, this is your home?" Max asked in astonishment at the beautiful Asian styled home.

"Yep; my Grandfather had this place built just so my Grandmother and I would feel at home," Lance said as he led the small group up the steps to the main door. "Please take off your shoes," Lance said politely as they entered the mudroom of the home. After a couple minutes of fiddling with shoes, the small group walked further into the home. "Obaasan! I'm home, and I brought home some friends!" Lance shouted into the large home.

"Welcome home young one, and welcome young one's friends," Obaasan said with a gentle smile.

"Obaasan, this is Terry, Isis, and Maxine" Lance said as he pointed out the individuals. They all bowed slightly in respect.

"Welcome, it's a pleasure to meet you all. Please, call me Obaasan," Obaasan said pleasantly as she too bowed slightly. "Would you all like some tea and snacks? The chores I have for Lance are simple and he can put them off for a bit," Obaasan offered. After the multiple "yes please" she went off to the kitchen to make some tea for the teens.

"Your Grandmother is pretty cool," Isis said with a small as she carefully sat at the low table, being mindful of her skirt.

"Yeah, I don't know why you complain about her all the time," Max said as she sat on the opposite side of Isis.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ya'll are only seeing her 'guest side', once she gets used to seeing ya'll more often she'll show her true colors," Lance said in defense as he took a seat next to Max.

"Yeah, sure she will," Terry said with a teasing tone as he took his place next to Isis. "Man I'm so happy that Wayne is giving me a few more days off unless there's an emergency," Terry said as he wrapped his arm around Isis' waist.

"Maybe he approves of Isis more than he did of Dana, so he's giving you more time with her," Max suggested as she laid her crossed arms on the low table and leaned forward slightly. The two across from her simply shrugged in response.

"Oh what a lovely site, seeing young people in love," Obaasan said as she made her way carefully into the room carrying a tray with a tea pot and cups along with some snacks. "I was beginning to wonder if my young Lance was ever going to find someone for himself. But I must say, you and Max make a cute couple along with Terry and Isis," Obaasan said with a large smile.

"Obaasan! Max and I aren't dating!" Lance shouted in utter embarrassment as his and Max's cheeks flushed a deep red.

"Oh? Well then, my mistake. But I could've sworn you talked about a Max for many nights during dinner," Obaasan said in thoughtful tone as she moved back out of the room, "Take your time young ones, I don't mind," she shouted over shoulder before she continued her way out, concealing her mischievous smile.

"Not, another, word," Lance said to the smiling two across from him. Terry and Isis simply continued to smile before casting each other a quick glance.

"You know, your Grandmother is right, you and Max do make a cute couple" Terry said as he leaned back on one hand and brought the other up to rub his chin thoughtfully. "What do you think, Isis?" Terry asked his girlfriend as she too leaned back on her hands and tilted her head to the side.

"Oh most definitely, and then we can all go on double dates," Isis said as a slow smirk spread across her pale lips. The smirk turned into a full blown smile as the two on the other side tried to counter while hiding their burning faces. "Oh will you two just suck it up and agree that you two like each other?" Isis asked with an exhausted tone.

"You two complain about Isis and I being all 'cutesy' when you two flirt almost non-stop every day," Terry pointed out, "So just agree on a time and a place and go on a date already," he said was he copied Max's pose on the table.

"You know, maybe they're right," Lance said with a defeated sigh, "I'm good for whenever and whatever. Besides, the first date should always be where the girl wants to go," he said with a cheeky smile to Max.

"Then how about Friday at the mall; say about 6?" Max suggested as she turned to face Lance with her own smile.

"Sounds perfect to me," Lance said in agreement. He then deftly leaned forward and pecked Max on the cheek. "I look forward to our first date," he said with a large smile as he watched Max's blush return with a vengeance. Both of them missed the looks that were passed between Terry and Isis, but they didn't miss much. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Obaasan was doing her own little victory dance of joy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my loyal readers! I have come up with a pretty funny fight scene just for ya'll. So I hope that it pleases everyone. And don't forget to review! Because reviews make sure that you get what you want to read! Thanks!**

Chapter 6: Sorry, I'm Taken

"Don't worry about me you guys. I don't mind at all," Max said as her and the others stood outside of the school. Terry and Isis both looked slightly guilty for having to cancel on their plans. "Hey, I understand completely. Old man Bruce needs you two," Max waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Still sucks," Isis pouted with her arms crossed before she sighed and dropped her arms. Terry wrapped an arm around Isis' waist.

"Come on, we have to go. The sooner we take care of this errand the sooner we can have some fun," Terry said before he led her off into the direction of his bike. Lance and Max waved goodbye as the couple drove past.

"I really do feel bad about cancelling on you as well, Max," Lance said as he walked down the front steps after Max.

"Hey, like I said, I totally understand," Max said with a shrug. "Besides, you promised your Grandma that you'd help her out way before you said you'd hang out," Max said while turning to face Lance.

"Still doesn't make me feel any better about ditching you," Lance mumbled under his breath. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school," Lance said before giving a brief wave and walking towards his home. Max shook her head with a smile and walked in the opposite direction.

"These guys just won't stop coming!" Catwoman shouted as she looped her whip around the arm of a joker and flung him towards another. She crouched low and hissed before launching herself at a female joker that was about to strike Batman.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Batman shouted as he flung an exploding bat-a-rang at an overhang. The bat-a-rang hit its mark, causing the entire overhang, bricks and all, to go crashing down onto an oncoming group of jokers. "Well, that took care of those clowns," Batman said with a smirk before he turned around and joined Catwoman in the fray.

"Terry, Isis, you need to hurry up. There's a bank robbery happening on the other side of town," Bruce's voice drifted in from their ear pieces.

"Son of a!" Catwoman shouted in agitation before electrocuting the joker that was holding her whip. "I got these fools, you go take care of the bank robbery!" Catwoman shouted to Batman. Nodding, Batman blasted up towards the sky, heading towards the bat mobile.

Max was close to her home before the sound of foot steps behind her stopped her momentarily. She narrowed her eyes before she continued, speeding up when the foot steps behind her started again. She felt her heart begin to pound and her instincts kicked in. Her legs took her off into a fast sprint, but her escape was short lived before she was grabbed by the arm and thrown into an ally way.

"AHH!" She screamed when her back met the brick wall painfully. She opened her eyes in fear as she saw the thugs that caught her. She noticed the bank bags in the grasp of two of the men. "Wha-what do…do you..you…you wha-want?" She asked brokenly, her voice quaking in fear.

"We figured we get in a few…kicks…to celebrate our success," The head thug said with a nasty smile.

"It looks like she's not all that interested," A voice said from the top of the roofs. All eyes turned in shock to the shadowed figure above them.

"Batman!" one of the thugs shouted. The figure laughed deeply.

"Nope, I'm not Batman. Far from a bat actually," he said before jumping from the roof top. He landed deftly on the ground in front of the pinkette. "Now, how about we deal with your first offense," he said before lunging at the head thug. Both went down, and the man flipped off the thug, planting his feet into the chest of the man behind him. "Your first offense was the bank robbery," he said with a slight growl. He turned towards the other two men remaining. "Your second offense is the attack of an innocent," he said before throwing ninja stars at the men's hands, knocking the guns and the bags of stolen money out of their grasps. "Neither of which I find truly forgivable," he said, the venom dripping from his words like acid.

Max, in a daze, simply watched what was going on around her. She watched as the mysterious man quickly disarmed and knocked out her assailants. The man stood straight from his slightly crouched position and turned to her.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked as he offered her his hands to help her up. She took them and nodded robotically. "That's a relief," he said with a soft sigh. "I was afraid I showed up too late," he said simply.

"Who are you?" Max asked once she regained control of her vocal cords. The man simply cocked his head to the side, his eyes crinkling at the corners slightly and she could see the corners of his lips twitch up under the mask.

"Call me, Shadow," he said, "You know, you really shouldn't be out walking alone," he said with his arms folded loosely over his chest.

"And shouldn't you be getting these guys out of here?" Max said after her nerves finally settled down.

"They're not going anywhere anytime soon," Shadow said after he looked around at the knocked out men, "And besides, if they start stirring I can just kick them in the head," he said with a shrug. "So what does a guy have to do to get a name?" he asked casually. Max popped a hip and crossed her arms over her chest.

"A lot more then ask. And besides, I already have a guy, so you're too late on this account," Max said before turning and walking out of the ally way. Shadow's laughter echoed down the ally

**And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. And don't forget to review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! So here it is the latest installment of the action and romance. So last chapter, Max was saved by the mysterious ninja, Shadow. How will our heroic duo, Batman and Catwoman, take this news? Well let's find out!**

Chapter 7: Shadow?

Max was pacing in front of the school, biting her lip in a nervous way.

"Hey Max, you ok?" Isis asked as she walked up the steps to the slightly distressed pinkette.

"Isis! I have some serious news to tell you and Terry," Max said in a hushed voice. Isis tilted her head to side, resembling the cat she spliced into her genes.

"Um ok," Isis said after a moment of silent confusion. "Terry's probably going to be late though. Last night was kinda brutal on us. The fact that I'm even here and awake is surprising," Isis said as she sat down on the steps with a sigh.

"That bad huh?" Max asked as she sat next to her friend.

"First there were the Jokers, and then Terry went off to deal with a bank robbery and didn't make it in time. He did however find the guys already knocked out in an ally way," Isis said as she rested her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand.

"I was attacked by those bank robbers!" Max exclaimed quietly. Isis whipped her head in her direction in shock.

"Are you alright? What happened!" Isis asked in worry and shock.

"I'll tell you when Terry and Lance get here. I don't really want to repeat myself. But you and Terry definitely need to know," Max said in a placating way. "But I'm fine, just a little shaken up that's all," Max soothed with a smile.

"You're alright, that's all that matters. You were one of my first friends here in Gotham and I really don't feel like losing you," Isis said with a small shoulder nudge to Max's shoulder. Max nudged back and the girls started giggling.

"This cannot be good news if the girls are giggling," Lance's voice chimed in from the side. The girls turned and waved to the approaching man. "So what has you girls giggling?" He asked as he plopped down on the other side of Max. She smiled at him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Nothing of great importance, we were just being goofs," Isis said with a cheeky smile. "So you two seem comfortable," she teased as she bumped Max's shoulder again. Max and Lance simply chuckled in response.

"Everyone's so cheery this morning," Terry grumbled as he walked up and sat on the step above Isis, bracketing her between his legs.

"You're just a sour puss this morning," Isis replied as she leaned back and smiled at the exhausted teen. "Why didn't you stay home today? You know I would have brought you the notes from today," Isis asked with a frown.

"Sheesh, Mr. Wayne must be working you like a dog if you're this tired. I haven't seen you this tired since a couple weeks ago and you fell asleep on Isis' lap," Lance said with a low whistle as he looked at Terry from behind Max's shoulder.

"Last night was a bit rough," Terry mumbled as he dropped his head back and rolled his neck. A resounding crack made everyone wince in sympathy. "A really rough night," he sighed.

"Well it's about to get a twist of interesting added to it," Max said with a mischievous smile. The others looked on curiously. "Last night I was attacked by some bank robbers," Max started. Lance and Terry both looked shocked.

"Are you alright?" both boys asked in shock.

"I'm fine. It's what happened while I was attacked that's interesting," Max said with a dismissive wave.

"Well don't leave us hanging," Terry said with a huff.

"I was saved by a ninja," Max said in a low voice.

"A ninja?" Isis asked in confusion. "I've never heard of a ninja in Gotham before. But then again I haven't been here as long as you two," Isis said, indicating Max and Terry.

"I'm with Isis, never heard of a ninja in Gotham," Lance said with a furrowed brow.

"That's the thing; there's never been a ninja in Gotham. Not even during the days of the original Batman," Max said in earnest. "This guy is completely new," Max said.

"Did he give you a name?" Terry asked. Max nodded her head.

"He said to call him, Shadow," Max said. "It was so unreal. He was a real ninja," Max said with conviction.

"We believe you Max. But it seems so odd that _another_ vigilante would show up," Terry said.

"Well the crime rate has risen again," Lance said with a small sigh, "maybe this Shadow character just wants to help Batman and Catwoman out. I mean last night there was the bank robbery and the paper covered a story about Batman and Catwoman dealing with Jokers," Lance said as an explanation.

"Well whoever he is, he should definitely state his intentions to our current vigilantes. Or else they might see him as a threat instead of help," Isis said in a soft tone. "Bast knows that there's been enough trouble lately," she sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"It seems as though whenever there's a break in the crime rate, it picks back up with a greater amount," Terry said with a growl.

"Well now there are three vigilantes; so maybe things will get better?" Lance suggested with a hint of hope. "Come on guys, there's no need to ruin what started out as a good day," he reasoned with a smile. "Besides, that's what class is for," he joked.

"Yeah come on you guys, let's get to class," Max said with a smile. "And Isis, don't let Terry fall asleep in class," she teased a grumbling Terry.

"Oh don't worry about Terry, I'll keep my eye on him," Isis said with a flirty wink towards Terry.

"Ok ok, I've had enough of this cutesy stuff to last me the first period," Lance joked as he and the others walked into the building that was going to be their temporary hell for the day.

**So now the rest of the group knows of this mysterious Shadow! Tune in next update to see how Batman and Catwoman meet Shadow! And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello my readers! Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me on this story. I almost gave this story up but thanks to all of you, I haven't done so. You're reviews, favorites, and following have been of great importance to me in writing this. So thanks everyone! Now on to the story! Enjoy and don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**

Chapter 8:

Batman and Catwoman observed the streets below in comfortable silence. Catwoman's cat like eyes narrowed slightly and she tilted her head to the side slightly.

"What is it?" Batman asked quietly when he saw the movement. Catwoman simply continued to listen, her heightened hearing picking up the soft sounds of foot falls behind them. "Catwoman?" Batman asked once again. Catwoman turned fully around and stared into the shadows of the building, her eyes catching the slight movement of another person standing on the roof.

"Show yourself," Catwoman said in an icy tone that meant business. Batman turned around and looked in the same direction as she was. He held in a slight gasp as the lithe form of Shadow appeared.

"Well that was a neat trick," Shadow said as he walked towards the duo.

"No trick, just really good at what I do," Catwoman said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Shadow raised an eyebrow as he stopped to stand in front of the duo, forming a triangle of vigilantes.

"Well you have to agree that the location of your whip is interesting," Shadow teased, the sides of the mask crinkling a bit, showing that he was smirking. Isis simply popped her hip, causing the whip that was unraveled to swing lightly behind her from its holster at her back.

"What are you doing here?" Batman asked bluntly.

"Same as you, keeping an eye on the city," Shadow replied casually. Batman narrowed his eyes along with Isis.

"I meant in Gotham," Batman growled while Catwoman gave a slight growl of her own. Shadow raised his hands in peace and shook his head slightly.

"Easy there, I mean no harm. Look, the crime rate has gone up, and I see no reason why I can't be of some help to you two," Shadow explained calmly. Batman and Catwoman looked at each other from the side before focusing their attention back on the masked ninja.

"I can tell that you're not telling us everything," Catwoman said as she bared her teeth, showing the elongated canines.

"My clan made the choice of where I would protect. I have no say in this matter at all," Shadow said as though commenting on the weather. "I am here to help, not hinder," he added on with a shrug. Batman walked away and faced the street again as he conversed with the original bat over the comm. Catwoman however, did not move from her spot. She ran her eyes over Shadow, committing to memory his build, height, hair and eye color, so she can give the information to Max. Max immediately agreed to help the duo find out who this mysterious Shadow was and asked that one of them try to get as much information as possible.

"So this clan of yours, do they have other people playing hero?" Catwoman asked as calmly as Shadow spoke. Shadow nodded his head yes before focusing back on Batman who was still conversing with the original.

"We have many family members around the world. But they keep themselves as quiet as possible," Shadow said as he relaxed his stance slightly as he realized he wasn't going to be attacked.

"Then shouldn't you be doing the same thing?" Catwoman asked with a small smirk. Shadow shrugged his shoulders.

"This is my test of sorts. They will not accept my spoken word so they must have proof that I am doing what I instructed to do. Trust me, if I had it my way, Gotham would not know of my existence," Shadow explained as he took a few steps towards Catwoman who was examining her claws. "Since you've asked quite a few questions, I feel as though you should answer some of my own," he said as he now stood in front of Catwoman. She quirked a blonde eyebrow and smirked, showing the tip of one of her canine teeth. "Why is one of the most known thieves of Gotham now playing the role of a hero?" he asked simply.

"Felt like it would be nice to fix my image. And besides, you can't have a Batman without a Catwoman," she purred her reply. Shadow rose in eyebrow in understanding.

"So what's Batman's story? Batman hasn't been seen in Gotham for years and now out of the blue, he's back and kicking butt," Shadow asked. Catwoman narrowed her eyes in thought and nibbled on her lower lip slightly.

"He has a debt to clear up," she said simply. Shadow waited for her to expand but she didn't. He nodded in understanding before turning his attention to the approaching Batman. "So what did boss man say?" Catwoman asked as she stood up straighter.

"We're going to be keeping an eye on you, so you better be who you say you are," Batman said with a frown and narrowed eyes. "Be happy we weren't given the command to take care of you," he threatened. Catwoman merely rolled her eyes before walking away from the two men.

"A ninja is bound by honor, and I would not throw my teachings out the window for anything. So keep the idle threats to yourself buddy," Shadow said while he narrowed his own eyes at Batman. "I made my intentions clear, so I shall take my leave," he said before turning on his heel and walking away. Catwoman turned to watch him go before going back to street watching. Batman simply walked over with a grumble.

"What has your ears in a knot?" Catwoman asked without looking at him.

"The fact that Bruce is letting this happen," Batman said. He didn't mind having Catwoman helping him with the crime fighting, but he did mind having this ninja helping him.

"Why so hostile? Shadow's right, there's more crime now as the population continues to increase. We could use all the help we can get," Catwoman said as she gave Batman a confused look. "One would think you'd appreciate the help," she said lightly.

"Yeah but not from someone I don't know," Batman said with a sneer. Catwoman narrowed her eyes in frustration.

"You didn't know me at first, so what makes him any different?" Catwoman asked angrily. Batman turned to face her with an angry look.

"Catwoman and Batman are known in Gotham, I had an idea as to who you are. This…Shadow, is completely new and unknown," Batman said through clenched teeth.

"No, you didn't have an idea as to who I was. You had an idea as to who the previous Catwoman was. And yet you still gave me a chance to prove myself. So why don't you be gentlemanly enough to do the same for him," Catwoman said before going and leaping across the gap between buildings and landing gracefully on the other roof. Batman sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

"Just what I need, a ticked off girlfriend," Batman sighed before going back to street watching.

**Shadow and Catwoman certainly seem to have an understanding. But does the issue between Shadow and Batman have more pieces to it? And how will the dynamic duo get over their tiff? Tune in next time for the answers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the lack of updating on my part everyone! But things have been just a little crazy with school having started last month. SO without further ado, I give you the latest installment! Enjoy!**

Chapter 9: Help from Reliable Sources

Isis growled lowly in her throat. Her frustration was clear across her face as she jumped from roof top to roof top towards the edge of the city. Her only goal was to get back to Wayne Manor and to get home where her bed was calling.

"You're alone," Bruce called out when Isis strolled through the bat cave. Isis shrugged while she walked to her bag.

"Terry was being ridiculous and I didn't feel like waiting for him. Besides, you two seem so determined to keep me on a schedule so I don't miss anything in school, I figured I'd come back early," Isis said with an edge of irritation. Bruce raised an eyebrow in question before turning back to the monitor. "Well I'm off for the night. You know my number if Terry decides to get himself bat-napped again," Isis called out before walking up the long set of stairs. Bruce turned his chair rapidly when he heard the resounding sound of stomps come from the typically silent teen.

"McGinnis must have done something to aggravate her," Bruce murmured to Ace who stared in equal confusion.

"Stupid boys and their stupid egos," Isis hissed through clenched teeth. "Catwoman and Batman are known in Gotham, I had an idea as to who you are," Isis mocked in a bad impersonation of Terry. "What kind of bad answer is that?" She asked out loud as she continued walking down the ridiculously long road towards city. "Wayne couldn't pick a place in town to do his business?" she huffed. The trip home was silent except for the soft click clack of her heels against the pavement. With a tired sigh, she climbed the bowing steps of her Grandmama's old home. "I'm home!" Isis shouted to the empty home. Shuffling through the first floor, throwing her backpack onto the reupholstered wing back chair, Isis efficiently removed all of her school stuff and shoes. The climb upstairs to the master bedroom seemed to take longer since Isis was tired from her impromptu trip to and from Wayne Manor. Moments after arriving in the master bedroom, Isis flopped onto the bed in her nightgown.

"You won't believe what happened tonight Grandmama," Isis said to the picture of Selina Kyle that was sitting on her nightstand in a metal frame with an elegant cat sitting in the bottom right corner. "Terry and I met the elusive Shadow tonight. Things started off alright I guess. All of us were on guard; but what else do you expect?" Isis questioned the photo that displayed a smiling Selina dressed in a gorgeous evening gown in a grand ballroom. Grabbing one of the many pillows on her bed, Isis curled around it and reached a hand to snag the photo off the nightstand. "Then Terry and Shadow got into an ego clash and things went downhill fast. Then Terry and I got into a fight because he's being ridiculous about Shadow being in the picture!" Isis whined to the picture that she held in front of her as her arm curled tighter around the pillow. "We need the help, and I think Terry doesn't want to admit it. Things are getting bad in Gotham, and we can't figure out why," Isis sighed in exhaustion. "And now that Terry and I are 'fighting', school is going to be awkward. That and Max and Lance will be curious and ask questions because the last time they saw us, we were happy-go-lucky. What should I do, Grandmama?" Isis asked in desperation to the photo. A calm feeling washed over Isis as she continued to stare at the photo in contemplation. "Am I overreacting, Grandmama?" Isis asked in a whisper. The feeling persisted after the question and Isis just smiled. "I guess you're right. I'll talk to Terry in the morning. Thank you Grandmama," Isis said through a yawn.

**Other Side of Gotham**

Terry slammed into his family's apartment, startling his mother who was on the couch channel surfing.

"Everything ok, hon?" Mary McGinnia asked her son. "You're home awfully early,"

"Wayne gave me the night off so I was with Isis. And everything is not alright. Isis and I got in a fight and I don't know how to fix it," Terry said with a growl of irritation. Mary simply stared in confusion. When she met Isis for the first time, she could tell that she was better for Terry then Dana ever was.

"Well maybe I can help?" Mary offered her distraught son as he flopped onto the couch next to her. "Isis and I are obviously female, so maybe I can offer some sort of advice. What was the fight over?" Mary asked in a gentle tone.

"I let my ego get the best of me. Remember when I told you about Lance?" Terry said, coming up with a plausible lie to cover up his nightly escapades as Batman. Mary nodded her head yes. "Well Isis was talking about him and I over-reacted. I thought she was thinking of being with him rather than me and I flew off the handle. She got mad at me and said that she was commenting about how he and Max worked well together before she stormed off. And now I don't know what to do," Terry finished with a slight pant. Apparently while delivering his rant, he forgot that air was a necessary part of life and didn't breath. Mary just smiled at her son.

"Sweetie, it was just a misunderstanding. I'm sure if you two just sit down and talk about it, you two can work it out. But in this case, you have to be the first to apologize. But Isis also has to apologize for not making her comments clearer. But I'm sure once you two talk it out, you two will laugh about this," Mary said as she brushed some strands of her son's hair away from his forehead. "Now, you look exhausted, so I want you to go to bed right now and then you can go to school early and talk with Isis before class. It's not like you can avoid her," Mary teased her son before rising from the couch. "Good night honey," she said before kissing her son's forehead and going to her room.

"Night mom, and thanks," Terry said before he heaved himself off the couch.

**I felt like I needed to add some family interaction into this story. And besides, how of often does Mary McGinnis get to help her son? I think this chapter was sweet. Let me know what you think! Reviews make sure that you get what you want to read!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Once again I prove that I suck at updating on a regular basis. But anticipation makes updates all that better…right? Well hopefully this was worth the wait! Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Double Date

The final bell rang loudly throughout the school. The relieved sighs of students were so loud that teachers all glared. Lance finished putting his school books in his bag with a heavy sigh before hefting his backpack over one shoulder and walking out to meet the others.

"Well you look utterly trashed," Terry teased as Lance met up with him and Max outside.

"Oh ha ha, McGinnis," Lance deadpanned before walking up to Max and all but engulfed her in a bear hug.

"Hello to you too," Max giggled before hugging Lance back. "What brought this on?" she asked when Lance pulled back and just wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Needed a hug and I figured I'd just take one from a pretty pinkette," Lance winked before bringing Max closer to him. "What do you say to a date today? Make it a double and bring Isis and Terry?" Lance suggested.

"Speaking of Isis, where is she?" Max asked when she realized that Isis didn't come skipping out a few minutes later.

"She said that she had to get something from her locker, oh there she is," Terry said as he watched Isis skip out with an unholy glee in her eyes.

"What did you do?" All three of them asked at the same time. Isis stopped and pouted before cuddling into Terry.

"Why must you guys blame me? I haven't done anything…yet," Isis said with a wink. "So what were you guys talking about?" she asked.

"A double date today," Max answered. Isis bounced in excitement. "Clearly she's all for it," Max teased before squealing and dodging Isis as she lunged to glomp her. Terry and Lance just laughed as they watched the girls run around giggling. Terry agreed that a double date sounds like fun and he grabbed his girlfriend before she could actually catch Max. Max hid behind Lance with a smile. Lance just peered over his shoulder and smiled.

"Let's get going guys," Terry said with a chuckle. The group wound up going to a retro diner for sundaes and ice cream floats. "Best after school date ever," Terry said before shoving a spoonful of ice cream and soda into his mouth. Isis rolled her eyes before stealing a spoonful of Terry's float.

"You're right. This is the best date I've been on in a while," Max said as she rested her head on Lance's shoulder. Lance just smirked and ate his sundae.

"Well you two certainly look comfortable," Isis said as she leaned forward and smirked. Max just rolled her eyes before tapping Isis' nose with the end of her spoon. Isis reared back and began to furiously rub at her nose. "Why did you do that?" Isis whined slightly after she finished rubbing her nose.

"Because it's entertaining," Max said with a smile before stealing some of Lance's sundae. Lance quirked an eyebrow before shrugging and going back to his ice cream, but not without lightly smacking Max upside the head. Max just gave him a look before returning to her conversation with Isis about female things. The boys really didn't pay attention for good reasons.

"Um, this date is about to be interrupted by an ex-girlfriend and a jock," Lance said as he watched Dana come in, hanging off of the arm of one of the various jocks from the school. Isis leaned her head back and rolled her eyes before going back to her ice cream. "What is she attempting?" Lance asked in confusion when he saw Dana look towards them. "Incoming," Lance muttered.

"Hello, I didn't know you guys would be here," Dana said in a sugary sweet voice that caused Isis to cringe. Terry, Max, and Lance just looked at her in various expressions of confusion and annoyance. "So Terry, I see you're still with this stray," Dana said as she waved a dismissive hand towards Isis. Isis rolled her eyes at the attempt at an insult and continued to eat and cuddle further into Terry. Dana's eyes narrowed as she saw how Terry wrapped his arm tighter around Isis.

"Can we help you two?" Lance asked finally when he saw that the two annoyances weren't leaving.

"Oh we just wanted to say hi and see how everyone is doing," Dana said in her grating voice.

"Come on babe, let's just get a booth far away from these losers and spend some time together," the miscellaneous jock said with a seductive smile, or what he believed to be seductive. Dana just smiled and walked away with a smirk.

"Did she really think that he would make you jealous?" Lance asked Terry in confusion.

"Apparently. Too bad I don't care if she's dating someone with the IQ of a rock," Terry said loud enough for Dana and her boyfriend of the week to hear him.

"Come now, Terry, no need to insult rocks like that," Lance said with a smirk. "After all, rocks haven't done anything to you," he continued with a chuckle. Isis and Max just watched the jock's face turn red in anger.

"Keep it up guys, he's about to blow," Max said as Isis giggled at the duo who were growing progressively angrier.

"So why do you think she's dating him?" Lance asked Terry who was trying to keep a straight face as he thought.

"Let's face it, she can't stay single for too long. How long do you think this one will last?" Terry asked. His face twitched in entertaining ways as he tried to keep it straight. Isis and Max had no qualms about laughing and busted out giggling as they watched Dana glare and scrunch her face up in anger. However it was the jock that made all 4 of them bust out laughing. Their laughter ceased as they watched the jock get up and storm over to them.

"Alright you freaks, I've had enough of you guys. So why don't we settle this tomorrow after school. Or are you two scared that I can take both of you and win?" Jock said in a smug tone. Terry rubbed the back of his head with a smirk.

"You know, I actually have work tomorrow so why don't you just take on Lance. Because you know, some of us actually have responsibilities to attend to, no offence Lance," Terry said while lounging back in the booth.

"Fine, you, me, gym after school," Jock said to Lance, trying to intimidate the amused Lance.

"Me speak caveman too," Lance said before everyone laughed. Dana and her latest boyfriend stormed out of the diner in a huff. The 4 teens just shook their heads and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

"I would tell you to be careful, but that seems pretty pointless to say," Max said as she looked at Lance. "Just don't beat him up too badly ok?" she said.

"You have my word, that he will at least be allowed to walk away. Whether it be on his own is a different subject," Lance said with a cheeky smile.

**There you have it everyone! A date, and a challenge. Next chapter will be the fight between Lance and the Jock. If you have any suggestions for what I should write, then please let me know. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Finals are over and now I can become a typing ninja! From now till January 14, when college starts again, I shall be giving you, my beloved readers, a constant stream of updates. So now on with the story; an epic battle between Lance and Dana's latest boyfriend, the Jock!**

Chapter 11: Epic Fail

Lance was standing on the sidelines with the others just watching as the Jock rallied his buddies and the other students who came to watch a good fight. Max and Isis both watched in amusement before turning to watch Lance stretch and warm up. Throughout the school day, Lance was approached by various students with varying messages of him getting his butt kicked by the Jock. Only Max, Terry, and Isis were on Lance's side of the fight.

"So how long do you think this will last?" Isis asked as she watched Lance stretch out his legs. Lance just shrugged his shoulders before rolling them out.

"Depends on how determined the moron is to annoy me," Lance said. "If he's determined to annoy me and keep fighting even though he knows he's done, then I keep fighting. Once he admits defeat I walk away. There's no honor in fighting an opponent who surrenders," Lance said as he bent down and touched his toes. "Though I don't think it will last long, he hasn't even stretched out. You don't stretch, the muscles clench and strain and tire out a lot faster. Random fact that I felt the need to share," Lance said with a small smile. Max just rolled her eyes and grinned while Isis just kept watching the crowd of students with Terry.

"You ready to fight?!" the Jock yelled across the gym to the quartet. Lance just shrugged and walked to the center of the gym. His PE clothes were a sharp contrast from the Jock's wrestling uniform. "You're going down new kid," the Jock said in an attempt to intimidate the unimpressed Lance.

"Are you just going to talk or are we going to settle this apparent issue? By the way, why are we fighting again?" Lance asked in genuine confusion. The Jock blinked before snarling.

"You insulted me and now you have to suffer the consequences!" the Jock yelled in explanation.

"If that was the case then he wouldn't be fighting Lance," Terry said with a scoff. The girls nodded in agreement before turning back to the two in the center of the gym. One of the students walked over to join them.

"Alright, the rules are simple! Keep the fight clean and the fight ends when someone gives up! Got it?" the student announced loudly. Both Lance and the Jock nodded in agreement to the rules and stood to face one another. The student all but fled the middle of the gym to rejoin his buddies on the sidelines.

"Let's show who the best here is," the Jock said as he circled around the stationary Lance. "And we both know who that is," the Jock said before lunging at Lance from behind. Lance just held up and arm and caught the Jock in a clothesline that caused the Jock to flop onto his back. Lance took a couple steps forward and turned to look at the Jock.

"Didn't your coach tell you to never just rush into a fight?" Lance asked in confusion. The Jock just pushed himself back onto his feet with a growl. The Jock lunged for Lance again but Lance just quickly side-stepped and the Jock stumbled forward with his momentum. "Clearly he didn't," Lance said with realization. The fight continued in a similar fashion of the Jock lunging and Lance evading with no difficulty.

"Fight like a man!" The Jock panted with tiredness before he tried another lunge.

"Alright, let me show you how to really fight," Lance said before grabbing the Jock mid-lunge and used the Jock's momentum to throw him over his back. "Always use your opponent's momentum against them," Lance said to the Jock who was lying on his back staring at the ceiling in shock. The Jock got back up on his feet with some difficulty before trying to swing his fist around and punch Lance. Lance grabbed the fist and used it to pull the Jock forward and twist his arm behind him painfully. "Never leave yourself open for capture or attack," Lance continued while the Jock grunted in pain. "Always be aware of what your opponent might do," he said before hooking a foot around one of the Jock's legs and pulling back, causing the Jock to face plant into the gym floor. The Jock grunted as he levered himself up onto all four before staggering back onto his feet. "And never let your opponent have the time to land a hit," Lance said before doing a roundhouse kick to the Jock's side, sending him crashing to the floor. The gym was silent minus Max, Terry, and Isis who were shouting in joy. "I think we're done here," Lance said before walking away to join his friends.

"Nice moves there ninja boy," Max said with a smile as she hugged Lance tightly. Isis and Terry froze minutely at the comment before glancing at each other quickly.

"Well as much fun as this was, Isis and I have to go to work so you and Max enjoy yourselves and we'll see you tomorrow," Terry said before the quartet exchanged goodbyes and went their separate ways. As Isis and Terry drove to Wayne's place they both were contemplating.

"You don't think he could be Shadow, do you?" Isis asked as she stared out the windshield.

"It would make sense in a way. And we saw how he fought today," Terry said as he kept his eyes on the road and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "It would also explain why he defended Shadow," Terry said as he remembered the conversation they had a few weeks ago. Isis sat up straighter as realization dawned on her.

"Oh sweet Bast, it makes perfect sense!" Isis said as she face-palmed and growled in annoyance. "How did we miss this?" Isis asked in confusion.

"He was pretty clever in hiding this from not only us, but Batman and Catwoman. Hopefully Shadow is out and we can confront him about this," Terry said as he pulled into the driveway of the regal manor. Isis just nodded her head in agreement.

**Lance shows the Jock who is boss and Terry and Isis have a good idea that Lance is Shadow. The next chapter will be the confrontation between all three vigilantes and a bit of an explanation on Shadow's part. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So I prove that I suck at updating on a regular basis. But I'm only human and sometimes updating is hard when I have no idea what to write. So hopefully you guys can accept my apologies on not updating regularly. But this is the last week before I go back to school so I am going to be typing practically nonstop. So enough with this nonsense that no one ever really reads; on with the story!**

Chapter 12: A Quiet Night

The night was surprisingly quiet for the vigilante duo as they roamed the streets on patrol. Catwoman leapt from rooftop to rooftop almost on autopilot as she kept an eye on the streets. Batman flew around surveying the area with a slight scowl.

"We're swamped for most of last week and now there's nothing going on," Batman growled in slight annoyance.

"Be happy that it's a quiet night. We have a test in history tomorrow that you can't fall asleep during," Catwoman said with a bored tone as she crouched on a rooftop and watched the people pass by. "Any sign of Shadow?" Catwoman asked curiously.

"None whatsoever, he might not be out tonight," Batman said with a frown. "I'm thinking we should call it an early night. We can confront Lance tomorrow about being Shadow. I'm positive that he's Shadow," Batman said with a determined look. "I'm going to head your way to pick you up," he said while flying back to the Batmobile.

"Aye aye Captain," Isis said cheekily. Batman rolled his eyes before hopping into the Batmobile and taking off towards Catwoman. "Bout time you showed up," Isis quipped with a smile as she leaped into the Batmobile and settled herself into Batman's lap.

"Oh ha ha," Batman said before flying the Batmobile towards Wayne Manor. The flight back to Wayne Manor was filled with silence and contemplation between both parties. When they arrived at the Batcave, Bruce looked up from the monitors and watched as Catwoman jumped and flipped out of the Batmobile and land softly.

"Hello Bat 1!" Isis said with a smile as she took off her eye mask and grabbed her whip. "How are you this fine and quiet evening?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Just fine, thank you. Any luck in finding, Shadow?" Bruce asked as he watched Terry remove the cowl and mess with his hair.

"Nope, Isis and I are going to confront Lance tomorrow," Terry said.

"Are you sure that's wise? If you're wrong, then it's another person that knows who you two are. Max is one person too many as it is," Bruce said as he slowly stood up from his chair and walked towards the stairs leading back into the manor. Isis bit her lower lip in thought as she watched Bruce walk back up to the manor.

"Maybe he's right, Terry. I mean, we're not positive about Lance being Shadow. Maybe we should just wait until we run into Shadow on a patrol," Isis said as she fiddled with her whip before putting it back onto the table where her outfit rests.

"If we wait then we miss our chance, Isis," Terry said from somewhere in the back in the cave as he changed out of his Batman suit. Isis rolled her eyes as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"If we wait, we get more information," Isis quipped back. "What's the harm in waiting until we run across Shadow? If we're wrong, then no one finds out who we are. But if confront Lance and we're wrong, then he knows who we are at night. Sorry, hon, but I'm with Bat Leader on this one," Isis said as she walked over to where her backpack rested against the stairs. "Don't forget to do some studying tonight for our history exam tomorrow," Isis said as she checked her backpack. Terry walked over and kissed Isis quickly before smirking.

"I won't forget to study for our history exam. And I guess we should wait till we run across Shadow. Hopefully he'll be out tomorrow night," Terry said as he and Isis walked into the manor through the grandfather clock entrance. "Night Mr. Wayne," Terry and Isis said in unison as they walked to the main door.

The dojo style home was quiet as the two occupants meditated across from one another. Lance scrunched his nose up slightly and then moved his shoulder to scratch an itch. His eyes snapped open when he felt a swift hit to his shoulder from his grandmother.

"You know moving during meditation is not allowed," Obaa-san said without opening her eyes. Lance rolled his eyes in retaliation. "Don't roll your eyes at me young man," Obaa-san said while cracking open and eye and smiling. "I believe we've meditated enough for tonight," she said with a soft smile.

"I'll go make some tea," Lance said as he gracefully got up from his lotus position. Obaa-san smiled at her adopted grandson as he walked out of the training room. Her smile dropped rapidly as she felt a presence.

"You will not sneak up on me. Show yourself, young one," Obaa-san said with a scowl. A figure moved out of the shadows, the lower half of his face covered. "How dare you enter my home without my permission. You know the rules of our clan," Obaa-san hissed.

"He will be tested soon. The outsider will soon learn his place," The man hissed in disdain. Obaa-san stood up rapidly and pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and pointed it threateningly at the man.

"It is you who shall learn his place, young one. You are not deserving of The Mark. Your heart has blackened with greed and your Father has ruined you," Obaa-san sneered. "Now leave this home, or you shall see what true mastery of a blade is," she threatened as she poised the dagger to be thrown.

"I look forward to watching your precious outsider fail," the man said before disappearing back into the shadows. Lance walked in with a tray that had two steaming mugs of tea.

"Is everything alright, Obaa-san?" Lance asked as he saw his grandmother standing rigidly in the center of the training room. Obaa-san merely turned around, the blade concealed once again in her sleeve and frowned.

"The trial shall be soon, dear one. I hope that I have trained you well," Obaa-san said softly. Lance narrowed his eyes as he looked around the room.

"Who was here?" Lance questioned. Obaa-san just waved a dismissive hand.

"It is no one to concern yourself with. Now let us enjoy our tea, and then you are going to bed," Obaa-san said with a smile. Lance just sighed in agreement.

**Lance certainly has some family problems to deal with doesn't he? Hopefully ya'll are anxious to find out what this trial is all about! And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read!**


	13. Chapter 13

**College is getting easier since it's my last semester before I graduate with an Associates in Science, but everything that happens afterwards is kicking my butt. Wish me luck everyone! But now I have some free time to update so here you go! An update that is long overdue. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13: Date night!

Lance was on edge throughout the day as his thoughts revolved around the trial he soon will face. Max watched in concern as Lance glared out into space.

"Is everything alright, Lance?" Max asked in concern as Lance gritted his teeth slightly. Lance jerked his head towards Max in slight shock.

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine," Lance lied. Max raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Liar. What's got you all tense?" Max asked as she moved to sit next to him. Lance shrugged and wrapped his arm around Max's shoulders. "You're not gonna tell me are you?" Max said with a huff.

"Don't worry about it, it's not something for you to worry your pretty pink head about," Lance said with a smile. Max gave a weak smile in return before going back to a worried expression. "Hey, no long faces. You look prettier with a smile on your face. Come on, turn that frown upside down," Lance said in a funny voice. Max laughed at his childishness.

"Well why don't we go somewhere and have some fun. You have a pretty long face yourself," Max said with a smile. She leapt off the wall her and Lance was sitting on and grabbed his wrist.

"Woah!" Lance shouted when he was yanked off the wall by a giggling pinkette. "Where are you dragging me off to?" Lance asked as he jogged behind Max.

"We are going to go blow off some steam at the arcade," Max said with a laugh. Lance shrugged his free shoulder and sped up to be at pace with Max. They ran to the arcade pushing at each other playfully and laughing like children. "I so beat you here," Max panted after they made it to the arcade.

"I let you win, sweetheart," Lance said with a smirk. Max rolled her eyes playfully before the two of them walked into the arcade. "So what to play first?" Lance asked as they walked around the various gaming consoles.

"Well what game do you want to lose at first?" Max asked with a smirk. "Terry can't beat me, Isis doesn't play videogames, that leaves you. And I never lose at video games," Max said while pretending to buff her nails.

"Well if you're half as good as Obaa-san, then you might stand a chance against me. But there's one thing you should know. I never lose either," Lance said with a smirk.

"You are on!" Max said before going off to a first person shooter. They played video games for hours before finally admitting to having a tied competition. "It's not a victory but it's not a defeat either. I suppose I'll accept that," Max said with a smile. "Feel better?" She asked as they left the arcade hand in hand.

"Yeah, thanks. I really needed to blow some steam off. And as far as dates go, this was definitely a great a date," Lance said.

"Who said it was over? Kicking your butt made me hungry for a good burger," Max said as she lead Lance towards a generic burger chain restaurant.

"I thought you said a good burger," Lance teased as they stood in line to order. Max shrugged with a smile.

"It's greasy, messy, and drips down the sides of your hand. What more do you want from a burger?" Max asked with slight shock.

"Flavor would be one of them that's for sure," Lance said with a grin. Max punched him playfully in the arm for his remark. With their burgers and fries, they chose a table outside to enjoy their meal.

"Gotta tell ya, you certainly know how to have a fun date," Max said after munching on some of her fries. Lance sat up straighter and buffed his nails comically.

"Yeah, I'm just that awesome I suppose," Lance said with a posh voice. Max laughed at his foolishness. "Oh you disagree with how awesome I am? That hurts, Max, that just shatters my heart," Lance said dramatically as he clutched where his heart was.

"Oh you poor thing, however shall you live?" Max taunted with a smile. Lance just laughed at their antics. "So are you going to tell me what had you so tense?" Max asked before taking a sip of her soda.

"It's nothing for you to worry about. Just some…family problems…have come up," Lance said with a wince.

"You still have problems in your family?" Max asked in worry.

"Well I am adopted after all. So in a strict Japanese family, an outsider like myself will always have problems. That's why Obaa-san and I are here, and not in Japan with the rest of the clan," Lance explained with a sigh.

"Well you certainly belong with our group of friends. Terry, Isis, and especially me, are glad to have you around," Max said while placing a hand over one of Lance's.

"Coming from you, that really makes me feel better," Lance with a gentle smile as he grabbed Max's hand properly. "Come on, I'll walk you home," Lance said as he stood up to throw out the trash from their meal.

"Alright. Lance, thanks for taking me out, even though I was the one that dragged you," Max said with a smile and a slight blush.

"You kidding me? I've been waiting for a girl to drag me off and say we're going out for a while now," Lance said with a laugh and a smile. As Lance escorted Max home, he couldn't shake the feeling of being followed. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Lance looked up and saw the vague outline of a person. As the couple got closer, Lance was able to see who it was more clearly. His glare intensified as he gazed at his adopted cousin. The man returned the glare just as intensely. The shadowed man held up 5 fingers before lowering one. Lance nodded in understanding before ignoring the man all together.

** "4 more weeks until my trial, let's hope I'm ready,"** Lance thought with slight trepidation.

**What is this trial going to consist of? And what of Batman and Catwoman; will they discover that Lance is Shadow? Turn in to find out! And let me know what you think will be in Lance's trial. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want!**


	14. Chapter 14

**It's time for an update! Enjoy!**

Chapter 14: It's So Obvious!

Catwoman stared out over the city skyline with a blank expression. Her blonde hair fanned out as a breeze came through. Her amber eyes narrowed as she picked up the faint scent of Shadow moving towards her. "Well this is a nice surprise," Catwoman said with a purr. She clenched her fingers, causing the claws in her gloves to snap out with a lethal sound. "I know you're there, Shadow, you can't sneak up on this kitty cat," Catwoman said with a giggle.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to sneak up on you," Shadow said with a laugh as he stalked out of the shadows. "Rumor has it you and Batman have been hunting for me," he said while inspecting one of his tonfas on his arm.

"We have been. But any good hunter knows that they have to wait for their prey. So now that you're here, why don't we have a heart-to-heart?" Catwoman asked with a sweet smile as she slowly walked around the still form of Shadow.

"And what is this heart-to-heart going to include exactly?" Shadow asked as he kept a close eye on the fem-fatale. Catwoman just smirked , showing one of her long canines. "I don't like that look," Shadow said with an edge.

"What look?" Catwoman asked with an innocent expression, her cat like pupils dilated fully in the ultimate innocent look.

"The look that screams 'prey in sight'. Get to your point or scat, Catwoman," Shadow demanded while gripping the handle of the tonfas more solidly. Catwoman pouted in irritation.

"Watch yourself ninja, stray cats fight dirty. But since it seems like you're in a hurry. I know who you are, Lance," Catwoman's eyes zeroed in on the slight tensing of the ninja, "and we want to know why you're doing this," she finished with a serious expression. Shadow sighed before pulling down the face mask and glaring at Catwoman.

"You know me, now you should return the favor," Lance said while keeping his stance tense. Catwoman nodded her head in acknowledgment before moving her eye mask on top of her head and smirking. "You have got to be kidding me," Lance said with a chuckle when he saw that it was Isis in front of him. "Let me guess, Terry's the big bad bat?" Lance asked with a smirk. Isis winked in reply before putting her eye mask back on. Lance followed suit and pulled his face mask back up.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you doing this?" Catwoman asked in interest. Shadow rubbed at his forehead and sighed.

"Family business, I can't really elaborate further than that," Shadow said blandly. Catwoman nodded in understanding. "So what happens now?" he asked.

"Bat 1 is going to want to meet you and understand a bit more of what's going on. Stay put, while I converse with him," Catwoman said before activating her ear comm and moving a bit away from Shadow. "Terry and I were correct, Lance is Shadow. So what do you want us to do?" Catwoman asked through the three way channel.

"You're alone with Shadow? What are you thinking?!" Batman shouted through the comm, causing Isis to wince at the volume.

"She's in one piece, McGinnis, settle down. Isis, I want you to invite him to the manor. It's time we get a handle on what's going on," Bruce Wayne interjected before a fight could break out.

"Alright boss, see you soon with a houseguest…I hope," Catwoman said with a light sigh. "Bat 1 wants to invite you to the manor. It's a quiet night so why don't we head on over?" Catwoman suggested with a smile. Shadow shrugged in reply. It took the vigilante duo a brief amount of time to reach the stately Wayne Manor.

"Why the heck didn't I make this connection? Large, stately manor outside of the city, with an older owner who's a multimillionaire, obviously it screams that something is going on behind the scenes," Shadow said as they walked into the Bat Cave. "My head isn't in the game I guess," he said with a chuckle.

"No one suspects the elderly to be behind anything extraordinary. Mr. Talbain, this is interesting to say the least," Bruce Wayne said as he stood up from the monitor chair with Ace by his side.

"Mr. Wayne, god this is too obvious now that I have all the pieces in front of me," Lance said as he pulled down his face mask and looked around. "This is a real deal operation here ain't it?" Lance asked as he looked at all of the costumes in their display cases.

"It is a real deal, which is why when someone comes in and interferes, I take an interest in them. I don't care for the reason behind you doing this, I only want to know if we're going to be picking up after a mess involving your family," Bruce said with narrowed eyes.

"I doubt my family will cause problems for Gotham. They're more interested in proving to the clan leaders that I don't belong in the clan. So I'm their target, not the city. And I'll make sure that it doesn't spread to anyone else," Lance said as he faced Bruce head on. Bruce stared at Lance critically while Isis looked between both of them in interest before all three turned to look at the Batmobile fly in.

"You're late!" Isis shouted as Batman climbed out and took off his cowl. "We got here faster than you did on foot, driving Miss Daisy," Isis ribbed good naturedly as Terry rolled his eyes at his girlfriend.

"Hello to you too," Terry said before kissing Isis deeply. "So, this is an interesting plot twist," Terry said as he turned to look at Lance. Lance pretended to consider Terry's statement before nodding with a shrug.

"Can't say that it wasn't expected, I mean, come on! All the pieces lead to the old man in the humongous manor being behind everything," Lance said while gesturing at everything in the Bat Cave.

"Well I think this is good news," Isis said as she started removing her gloves and whip. "All three of us are friends, and Max will find out eventually about Lance, so it's contained to the same people that know," Isis explained before grabbing her bag and walking further into the cave to change out of her suit.

"Yep, everyone that knows is still a small number. And depending on how my trial goes, it may just be back to the original three," Lance said with a huff.

"Trial?" Bruce asked.

"The trial is to see if I belong in the clan. I fail, I go back to Japan and stripped of all my weapons and clan titles and left to fend for myself. I'm adopted, and many believe I don't belong," Lance explained briefly.

"How long till this trial?" Terry asked with narrowed eyes.

"4 weeks," Lance said with no emotion. The feeling in the cave grew somber as understanding swept through everyone. They didn't have much time before an entire clan comes and causes problems.

**Training starts for Lance and Obaa-san gets a chapter of her own! Let me know what'cha think! And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I really don't have an excuse for the lack of updating. Enjoy!**

**Important note: **_**Italicized = memories**_

Chapter 15:

Obaa-san watched quietly as her adopted grandson and his friends discussed miscellaneous things. This is what Lance deserved, to be happy and amongst friends. Not to be put through The Trial to prove his place within the clan. The lines on her forehead creased further as she glared in irritation. She was one of the elders of the clan and yet they felt it necessary to question her judgment of Lance's ability to defend the clan's honor. Her attention was brought back as the group of teenagers all but fell over in giggles at a horrible joke. Her dark eyes softened as she watched Lance bring Max closer to his side, leaving his arm around her waist. Oh how she could remember when he was young and found girls to be horrible. Her eyes glazed over as her memories swept her away.

_ A younger Obaa-san walked calmly down the busy streets of the market. Her arms were laden down with heavy produce bags, but she showed no signs of discomfort or tiredness. Her kimono proudly showed her clan's symbol on the back in bold colors. Her attention was on her surroundings, which is why she jumped slightly at the small voice that spoke up right next to her. _

_ "Excuse me ma'am, would you like help with your bags?" the stumbling Japanese poured from the concerned young boy. His black eyes glittered in worry for her. Obaa-san stared at the child in contemplation, and was stunned when he didn't show signs of nervousness at her gaze. She smiled softly and nodded her head in consent. The boy smiled brightly and moved to take some of the bags off of her outstretched arms. While walking side by side, Obaa-san took in the boy's appearance. His blonde hair was feathery and spiked in various directions without a care. It was an obvious tell-all that the boy was not Japanese at all. His eyes could have fooled her for a moment if he was not a blonde, but his slightly broken Japanese was another give away. She continued her inspection without the young boy noticing a thing. He wasn't tall for a young boy, but she did not know his age. She guessed him to be around 8 or 9, but she was unsure. His clothes looked torn around the edges but were clean. _

_ "Young one, what is your name?" Obaa-san asked in fluent English. She watched as the boy's eyes glowed in happiness at hearing English. _

_ "I'm Lance. What's your name, ma'am?" He asked politely as he flashed a blinding smile to Obaa-san. _

_ "You may call me, Obaa-san," Obaa-san replied with an equally blinding smile. "Where are your parent's, Lance? Surely they are worried that you have wondered off with a strange old woman," Obaa-san probed gently. She watched in concern as the boy's smile dropped instantly and his eyes filled with tears he refused to shed._

_ "They left me here. And you're not that old," Lance said softly, refusing to meet the woman's eyes. Obaa-san stopped dead in her tracks, causing Lance to stop and look at her in confusion._

_ "Oh young one," Obaa-san said before dropping her bags gently on the ground and gathering the boy in her arms. "You will come home with me and live with me. I will not accept any other answer," Obaa-san said with conviction as she brushed a soothing hand through the feathery blonde hair of the boy. Lance gazed at her in wonder before hugging her back tightly and letting loose his tears. Obaa-san soothed the crying boy gently as she rocked side to side. In that brief instant, she knew that she would love this boy like her own kin. And the clan will live with her decision to take him in._

Obaa-san was brought out of her memories briefly as Lance walked past her to go to the kitchen, kissing her quickly on top of her head. She smiled lovingly at her young one as he rummaged through the kitchen for snacks. "There's some pocky in the cupboard over the stove and fruit in the fridge," Obaa-san suggested with a smile.

"Thanks!" Lance said as he gathered the snacks and headed back to the living room to join the others. Obaa-san watched for another few moments before her memories took hold of her once again.

_ "Obaa-san, why are people fighting?" Lance asked one quiet morning as the two of them sat outside and enjoyed their breakfast. Obaa-san turned her gaze from the training adults to the now 11-year-old boy. "Every day for the last couple of years, I've seen everyone fighting. Are they mad all the time?" Lance asked innocently._

_ "Oh no, young one, they are far from angry at one another. They are training to be great shinobi of our clan," Obaa-san said through her laughter. _

_ "What's a shinobi?" Lance asked with wide eyes as he watched the men continue to practice with new interest._

_ "A shinobi is a skilled fighter who fights to protect those he cherishes and those who are innocent. They fight with honor and uphold the traditions of their families," Obaa-san explained with pride. She smiled in amusement as she watched Lance bounce in excitement as he kept watching the men train. _

_ "Why aren't there any girls?" Lance asked when he noticed that out of everyone training, there were no girls. Obaa-san let out a scoff of annoyance._

_ "There is a belief that women must remain docile and subservient to the men of their families. It stems from long ago, and in many families it has remained the status quo. I am the only woman to have been trained to be a shinobi within this clan," Obaa-san explained through gritted teeth before she sat up straighter with pride. _

_ "Will I be allowed to learn?" Lance asked hesitantly._

_ "Of course you will be allowed to learn, if you so desire. Why would you think you would not be allowed to learn?" Obaa-san asked in genuine confusion._

_ "I didn't think they'd teach me. I hear them call me 'gaijin'. That means 'outsider', doesn't it?" Lance asked with a somber face. Obaa-san's face grew dark as she glowered into space. Taking a deep breath, she reigned in her anger and turned reached for Lance. The boy came willingly and cuddled into her side._

_ "Yes, it does mean outsider. But you shouldn't listen to their spiteful words. The council of elders have agreed to you becoming a clan member, they are merely being petty. And if you will not be taught by the current masters, than I shall teach you myself," Obaa-san vowed with sincerity._

_ "You'd be a better teacher anyways," Lance said with a giggle. Obaa-san hugged him closer and giggled along with him. Yes, she would make sure that Lance is taught the way of the clan._

She was pulled from her memories as she watched Lance stand to demonstrate a pose from his daily katas. She smiled with pride as he watched him go around and carefully adjust his friends' posture in the kata. Lance spent many hours a day, perfecting his katas, in order to impress his sensei and prove that he could learn the moves just as well as the others. Obaa-san grew more and more proud of him as he continued to advance in the ranks faster than anyone, even herself, believed he could. Her memories once again took hold of her as she remembered when the newest elder decided to make his opinion of Lance very clear. __

_She watched with a proud smile as Lance quickly and smoothly took down his opponent and stepped back. Over the years that Lance lived with her, his hair had grown long enough to be put in a small ponytail. His bangs stuck to his forehead from the sweat that was running down his face. But nothing deterred him from smiling in joy. His smile grew larger when he saw Obaa-san watching with the other elders of the clan. He bowed in respect to the elders before turning and helping his opponent up and off the training mat. He had grown in height; and at 13 he was now surpassing Obaa-san in height._

_ "I told you he would not disappoint," Obaa-san said with pride evident in her voice. Her young one was proving himself to be a strong but humble fighter with respect and honor. The other elders nodded in agreement before all of them returned inside to continue their discussion in private. _

_ "You are correct, Hana-san," One of the elders said with a small smile. "But we are not the ones he needs to prove that too," the elder reminded gently. Obaa-san scoffed in annoyance as she poured herself a cup of tea._

_ "Young Lance has proven he is capable of learning our clan's technique and traditions, and that is more than enough to prove he belongs," Obaa-san said through gritted teeth. "We are the elders; we are to make the decisions within the clan. Not our children or grandchildren," Obaa-san said with a tone of finality._

_ "But our children and grandchildren are the future of this clan, and we must take into consideration their opinions," Another elder chimed in. _

_ "You say that because it is your child that is adamant that Lance be evicted from the clan!" Obaa-san shouted in annoyance. "You have spoiled that son of yours and now he has ruined his son as well," She said with a sneer. She watched in satisfaction as he squirmed under her harsh glare. "He is the only one that I have heard speak such things. Why should one voice be the deciding factor?" Obaa-san reasoned with a huff. The other elders bowed their heads in agreement._

_ "Lance is an outsider, not even born of our land! Why should he be allowed into our clan when we have turned others away?!" The outraged elder said in aggravation. _

_ "Lance is indeed not of our land, but his heart is no different than our own. He seeks no glory and has learned to fight to protect himself and others. We turned others away because they seek glory and wish to learn simply to fight," the oldest of elders said in his rasping voice. The outraged elder sneered in annoyance._

_ "Than if he is to be a part of this clan, he must face the Trial when he is of age," he said viciously. Obaa-san's tea cup fell to the ground as she stood up rapidly in shock and outrage._

_ "The Trial is to determine who shall become a clan elder when they no longer can fight! It is a decision that the child makes, not a decision the elders make!" Obaa-san said through gritted teeth as she grabbed the front of his yukata and pulled him close to her. "You are threatening my young one, and this is your last warning," she said quietly with a sickly sweet smile, "continue to threaten him, and I shall end you," she said before throwing him away from her roughly. The other elders watched with no reaction at their only female elder. _

The memory faded away as Obaa-san heard the sound of Lance and his friends heading to the door so that his friends could leave. She smiled slyly as she watched Max kiss Lance quickly before running to catch up with Terry and Isis. Lance turned back to her and just rolled his eyes at her expression.

"Glad to see you're in a better mood," Lance said softly as he stood next to her.

"I have not been in a foul mood, young one," Obaa-san said just as softly. Lance scoffed quietly before bringing Obaa-san into a warm hug.

"I will pass the trial, Obaa-san, you need not worry. I was trained by the best and only female shinobi within the elder counsel of the clan," Lance said as he hugged her tightly.

"Our clan, young one, you have proven yourself worthy to be a part of our clan. And you are my grandson, brought to me by the gods, and forever in my heart," Obaa-san said with conviction before dragging Lance's head down to kiss his forehead.

**Obaa-san needed a chapter and just a bit of Lance's past is now known. Let me know what you want to see happen next. And don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


	16. Author's Note (SORRY!)

**Author's Note: Writer's Block**

** Ok so I know this isn't an update and feel free to yell at me for that. But you see, I'm kinda stuck on where to go. Oh I know that I'm going to have Lance go through the trial and such…but it's getting to the trial that's tripping me up. I don't like doing filler chapters and I'm sure you guys don't like to read filler chapters. So what I am asking (begging) of you guys is for ya'll to give me some ideas for how to get to the trial chapter(s). This is will definitely help me get over my writer's block with this story and get back to working on it a lot faster. Thank you all for hanging in there with me on this story!**


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter is brought to you by myself, Last-Babylonian, with the wonderful help from monzepelmoon and Kaylee! Thanks to those two and their awesome suggestions I am able to update! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16: Envy in Universal

It was two days before the Trial was to take place, and Lance was busy training. Obaa-san watched with a critical eye and threw out corrections to his stance and moves. Sweat dripped down the side of Lance's face and off the tips of his bangs.

"Enough!" Obaa-san shouted, causing Lance to stop in the middle of a high kick. "You have practiced enough for tonight," she said as she walked over to a cabinet in the dojo. "Come, young one, I have a gift for you," Obaa-san said as she reached in and brought out a wrapped parcel.

"Huh?" Lance asked intelligently. Looping a towel around his neck, he made his way over to where his grandmother was kneeling. The small alter held the image of Obaa-san's late husband that was framed in simple wood. "Ojii-san," Lance said and bowed respectfully to the image. He turned his attention to his grandmother and watched as she gently caressed the package in her lap.

"These were your Ojii-san's, and he wished for you to receive them when you…when you were ready," Obaa-san said with a soft sigh. "He'd be proud of how far you have come," she said as she carefully transferred the package to Lance. With care, Lance carefully untied the ribbon holding the package closed. "Wear these and you shall always fight with the knowledge that your Ojii-san is with you," she said as she watched Lance hold up the top emblazoned with an elegant oriental dragon circling the Clan's symbol. "They were given to your Ojii-san just before he went and fought in the trial," Obaa-san explained as Lance gazed in awe at the clothing.

"He wanted me to have these?" Lance asked in awe. "I'll wear them with pride," he said with conviction. The moment was interrupted by the clacking of heels. Obaa-san and Lance both looked at each other in confusion. Standing quickly, both took defensive stances as the clacking sound drew closer.

"Relax, it's just a little stray kitty cat," a woman's voice said, the smirk evident. Lance rolled his eyes and relaxed his stance. "Good evening," Isis said as she came into view, decked out in her Catwoman attire. "Well not really a good evening anymore," Isis said with a slight hiss.

"What happened?" Lance asked cautiously. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Isis fidget minutely on her feet. "Isis. What. Happened?" Lance asked forcefully.

"Max was kidnapped earlier this evening. The only thing that was out of place was this," Isis said as she held up a folded up piece of paper. "Looks like someone in your family really doesn't like to play by the rules," Isis explained as Obaa-san took the note and began reading. Lance's eyes blazed in rage as he quickly read the note over Obaa-san's shoulder. "None of us, not even Bat 1, can figure out where they've taken her. They left her phone so we can't track it back to her," Isis explained as she watched Lance stomp over to a panel in the dojo. "What are you doing?" she asked incredulously.

"Getting ready to go get Max back from my 'cousin'. The note is from Okayaki, and he really does not like me," Lance said as he opened the panel to reveal his Shadow uniform.

"Okayaki? Weird name if you ask the American," Isis said in confusion.

"He was appropriately named. Okayaki is Japanese for envy **(AN: I used a Japanese translator to find this out so hopefully it's correct.)**" Obaa-san said with a sneer. "That child was spoiled by his father, just like his father was spoiled. They do not respect the Clan's ways. His sister is no different from the rest of them," she continued with a tone of disgust.

"Wow, and I thought I had family problems," Isis said softly. "Bat 1 wants us back at the cave first to regroup with Bat 2. That way we can try to find the best way to track Max. And before you ask, I've already tried picking up a scent, but I'm no blood hound," Isis said just as she watched Lance walk out with his mouth open about to speak.

"I wasn't expecting you to pick up a scent. Okayaki would never do something so amateur. That night you caught my scent, I let you catch it," Lance explained before lifting his face mask to cover his mouth. "Let's go," he said briefly before walking towards Isis.

"Be careful young ones, I fear that Okayaki has far more planned than just kidnapping," Obaa-san shouted in worry. The two vigilantes nodded in understanding before dashing out of the dojo on silent feet. "May the Gods protect you," Obaa-san whispered before turning to wait for Lance in the main house.

The journey to Wayne Manor was silent and swift. The duo knew the consequences of being slow so they saved their energy to make the trip quickly. Arriving at the Manor, Isis immediately walked to the Grandfather clock and moved it aside to reveal the staircase leading to the Bat Cave.

"Okayaki has Max. He's a 'cousin' of mine that wants me removed from the Clan and for me to be stripped of my honor," Lance said the second they were at the base of the stairs.

"I thought you said that this family squabble would stay within the family," Bruce said coldly.

"I thought so as well. But clearly my 'cousin' had other ideas. Sorry, I'm not psychic, I can't predict what will happen," Lance said just as coldly.

"Alright everyone, knock it off. You two fighting isn't going to find Max," Terry interjected before a full blown argument could erupt. "Lance, you know your 'cousin'; what kind of places would he take her to?" Terry asked in a clipped fashion.

"Okayaki would take her somewhere relatively close. He's impatient and if he's looking for a fight then he's not going to be willing to wait long. Populated or unpopulated doesn't matter to him, he's a skilled escape artist; he'll get away before anyone gets there. Best bet would be any building with a high ceiling, he's always liked being able to ambush his opponents," Lance explained while Bruce typed in what he assumed were key search terms.

"Would it be close to Max's home or close to your home?" Bruce asked as numerous results appeared from the search. "We need to narrow it as far as possible," he continued.

"Close to her place. He was probably thinking I would go there to see her after training and find her note. Not for Batman or Catwoman to find the note. How did you find out she was kidnapped?" Lance asked the question he was dying to ask.

"Max called me. I'm her first speed dial. She sounded panicked and said that she felt like someone was watching her. I heard a crash and her scream before the line went dead. Isis and I went there and saw that the window was smashed in and the note on the bed," Terry explained quickly. Lance nodded in understanding before turning back to watch the computer continue to search for possible locations using the information provided.

"There, it's close to her home but has enough of a buffer around it. And old warehouses always have high ceilings," Lance said as he pointed out an address that was illuminated on the screen.

"Then let's get going," Isis said as she strutted towards the Batmobile. "Umm, I hate to ask a dumb question; but how is Lance going to join us?" Isis asked as she remembered that the Batmobile barely had enough room for two passengers. Everyone thought about that before Terry smirked and went over to his backpack.

"My motorcycle is generic enough that it won't draw attention," Terry said as he tossed the keys to the black clad ninja. "Just don't scratch her," he smirked. Lance nodded before he headed towards the bike. With everyone having rides, the trio left through the secret tunnel leading out of the cave towards the old warehouse.

Max groaned as consciousness came back slowly. Her head spun from the effects of the chloroform and she felt nauseous. Opening her bleary eyes, she surveyed the surprisingly clean warehouse with dazed eyes. She sat, tied to the chair so that her back was flush with the chair's back and her legs tied the same way. As she became more aware of her surroundings, her mouth opened in a shocked gasp. The entire warehouse was lit by massive bowls with burning candles in them. The center of the floor was painted with a symbol she didn't know with rocks surrounding the entire image. Various weapons hung along the walls perfectly polished.

"I see you're awake now. That's good, because soon everything will fall into place," a voice said from behind Max. Max strained her neck to try and look over her shoulder with no success. Footsteps could be heard resounding throughout the still warehouse as the mystery person approached Max.

"Why am I here?!" Max shouted in fear and anger at her captor. Malicious laugher caused Max to shiver in fear.

"You are here because you're in my way! No one will stand between me and my goals! You are not supposed to be with Lance! I am!" Max's captor said as they walked faster to be in front of Max. Raising a hand, her captor gave her a harsh backhand that forced Max's head to snap in the same direction. Max hissed through her teeth at the sting and slowly moved her head back to center. Her eyes widened at the sight of the willowy built Asian woman in front of her. Dark eyes narrowed in hatred were outlined in black eyeliner and her lips were painted a deep red. Her pale skin looked luminescent under the candle light and her dark hair was pulled behind her in a high ponytail that had ornamental chopsticks sticking out of. Her oriental shirt was in a deep crimson with black cherry blossoms swirling about it. Her dark jeans and black boots completed her dark attire.

"Sister dear, calm yourself," a masculine voice called from the shadows. "We don't wish to hurt her any more than necessary after all," the man said as he walked forward. Looking exactly like his sister, the man in a traditional Japanese yukata smirked at the pinkette. "That gaijin has poor taste in women," he sneered. "Never the less, he shall learn his place. Sister, go keep an eye out, make sure to alert me when he is close," he commanded. His sister left quickly to check.

"Who are you?" Max asked cautiously.

"I am Okayaki, and I shall prove to your beloved Lance that he has no place amongst us of the Clan," Okayaki introduced with a smirk. Max stared at him in shock. She prayed that Lance would get there soon, and be able to defend himself against his adopted family.

**Once again much thanks to Kaylee for giving me the idea of including a sister and monzepelmoon for the kidnapping of Max. Next chapter will be the epic showdown between Lance, aka Shadow, and Okayaki, the irate Clan member! Don't forget to review because reviews make sure you get what you want to read! Thanks!**


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